BY NICOLE GILLES, RD, CDE, CSR
Nicole Gilles, RD, CDE, CSR
Have you noticed a change in your mood lately? Not feeling as happy and energetic as you used to? Food may be to blame.During the winter months, most Americans tend to eat more starch and fat in their diets, which can leave you feeling sleepy and emotionally unstable. High fat food, like fried food, whole fat dairy products, and fatty meats take lots of time and energy to digest. All this strain on the body may leave you in need of a nap. Large portions of starchy food, like grain products, pasta, potatoes, and sweets will cause a dramatic rise and fall in blood sugar levels. This effect may cause your mood to rise and fall as well, leaving you feeling mad or anxious. Let’s face it. We could all use a little more energy, patience, and emotional stability to help us juggle our busy lives.So what are we to do? Small changes in the diet may help support an improved and stable mood while providing increased energy levels. Can you believe food can affect your mental health that much? If you need more convincing, try it out for a month and see how you feel. Start by making small changes like avoiding fried food and switching to low fat foods for a week. The next week, continue your previous changes and start cutting back on starchy food. If this leaves you feeling hungry, increase your portions of vegetables and/or snack on one cup of fresh fruit between meals. The decreased fat and starch intake will decrease your body’s energy demands to digest food, leaving more energy for what you want to do. The decreased starch portions and occasional fruit snack will also support level blood sugars, which will support emotional stability. Together, these small changes can make a big difference in your mental health.
Celebrate Mental Health Month this May by making small food changes to feel better by June!
If you would like to slim down this spring, look no further than local Eastvale resident, Nicole Gilles. Nicole is the owner of Happy and Healthy Nutrition and she is dedicated to helping you achieve your health and weight goals. As a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, and Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition, Nicole is qualified to help you learn how to cope with emotional eating and learn to eat for your body’s individual needs. Happy and Healthy Nutrition members discover when to eat, how to eat, and how to lose weight and keep it off permanently. What are you waiting for? Start today, for a happy and healthy tomorrow!
Contact Happy and Healthy Nutrition at http://www.HandHnutrition.com, or call (909) 816-0977; and like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/happyandhealthynutrition.nicolegilles. Virtual Counseling is also available. Check out their ad on this page for a special discount available to Eastvale News readers.
